In the second installment of the Cara Kennedy series, we pick up right where we left off in City Under One Roof. As I mentioned in my review of City Under One Roof, I love a good Alaskan setting for mysteries and thrillers, so I was more than excited to continue on with this series.

Without spoiling anything, the Cara’s findings from City Under One Roof is taking her down a rabbit hole. Among her findings are pictures of recently deceased or missing persons, one being Cara’s own husband. Along with Ellie, a resident of the DavCo and mother of one of the recently deceased, Cara dives deep into investigating who each of the persons are, and why their pictures were in the hands of notorious gang members.

Like the first book we get multiple POVs within Village in the Dark. While Cara’s POV is a continuation from the first, we also hear from Ellie, a 60 something, red wigged, inn keeper at the DaveCo, and from Mia, who comes from a small insular village just trying to make it in Man’s World. I wasn’t sure how Mia’s story would fit in with Ellie and Cara’s, but I ended up really enjoying her viewpoint and loved the way the 3 POVs came together.

Also, like the first book, I did find it to have a few pacing issues. It’s a bit slower in some parts whereas I would have preferred it to be a bit more fast paced. Regardless of that, I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery and getting to see the DaveCo residents again! While another big mystery is solved, I’m hoping that this series continues because I’ve grown fond of our cast of quirky characters and getting to know all their unique pasts. 3.5 rounded up to 4 for pacing.


Village in the Dark is out now. Huge thank you to Berkley Books for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review, please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof.books.

Surviving the loss of her husband and son, Detective Cara Kennedy will stop at nothing to find the truth of what happened to them that fateful hiking trip. Following their disappearance and recovery a year earlier, Cara has since unearthed clues that foul play might have been at hand.

I am nothing short of impressed by Iris Yamashita’s follow up to her debut CITY UNDER ONE ROOF. From the go, this book is as atmospheric as it is suspenseful and the evidence of her screenwriting talent shines through in spades. While this felt like a movie at times, including an action packed back half, the writing was also lyrical and quiet with a great amount of character depth, even among the more tertiary characters.

To be completely transparent, I did not realize that this was part of a series until I began reading it. And while I think this can be read and enjoyed as a standalone, there is a certain amount of character and world building in the first book that would have enhanced the reading experience. However, the author does an excellent job of filling in the gaps and introducing us to the characters in an organic and unforced way, which was very much appreciated.

Read if you like:
•atmospheric reads
•Alaskan setting
•action-packed plot lines
•detective series
•memorable characters
•multiple POVs

Thank you Berkley Pub for the gifted copy.

Intense, tightly plotted, and fast paced. I enjoyed this one as much as the first and was surprised in maintained the tension given it wasn’t confined to a single location the way “City” was. Great resolution. Would read more

Book #2 in this awesome series. If you have not read the first book, CITY UNDER ONE ROOF, I recommend you read it before starting VILLAGE IN THE DARK. Much of the second book is over arcing from the first and the story line is so much better if you've read the first one. Both books are so good....it's hard to say how much I loved them.

Iris Yamashita has taken the culture and climate of Alaska and her myriad population centers. From heavily populated Anchorage to the small villages and towns where living conditions vary so wildly. The characters show the same level of differences. Their differences make them an effective team for the investigation of so many challenges. Yamashita skillfully moves the team through each step of the investigation, pitting them not only against the criminal elements but the climate elements too. She maintains the tension and the pace, keeping readers on edge and the twists coming at surprising times. These two books are so good, I'm not sure how she'll be able to set the next one but I'm already anticipating it's release. 5 easy stars.

I read City Under One Roof last year and really enjoyed it, so I was thrilled to read Village in the Dark, the second installment with Detective Cara Kennedy. I loved how all of the characters carried over and were further developed in the story, though I don't think it would be necessary to read the first book before this most recent. Village in the Dark is fast-paced and action packed. I thought almost every chapter was equally character and plot driven, and each was told from the perspective of a different character. These story lines seamlessly came together with twists and turns throughout. Overall, this was a very quick and suspenseful read that I thoroughly enjoyed!

3/5

Thank you Berkley Publishing for the advanced reading copy!

SYNOPSIS --

Detective Cara Kennedy is determined to get answers, one way or another. After exhuming the bodies of her husband and son, disappeared last year after a hike, she finds answers she NEVER expected, to questions she never even thought to ask. With new players in the game and new rules that Cara could never have predicted, she finds herself down the twisting road of an investigation and into corners darker than she's ever seen.

This book was pretty quick and easy to get through. I love reading about Alaska — it feels sooo far off and different from the Midwest! I liked the first book in the series a lot more, but this one wasn’t bad! It had a slower start but really picked up and burst into chaos in the second half. I was pretty surprised by a few of the events, though some seemed too far fetched to be believable. The Unity village was a super fascinating setting to add in to the second book, too! I enjoyed reading more about Cara and the other characters from Point Mettier, and I'd read another book in the series if there are more in the future!

Village in the Dark is the second book in Iris Yamashita's Detective Cara Kennedy series. (Yes, this can be read as a stand alone.)
Yamashita takes us back up to Alaska and the fictional village of Point Mettier. The entire village lives in a high rise building. This setting is based on an actual village that does indeed live in one building. I enjoyed the descriptions of life inside and the many idiosyncrasies of the inhabitants.

Cara suffered a loss in the last book. She thought she had put that loss to bed, so to say, but the past is still knocking on the door.

Yamashita gives us some great opening chapters - from the point of three women. Cara, Ellie and Mia. Ellie is a feisty landlady at the building. And Mia is a young woman who was raised in the bush, but has decamped to the city of Anchorage. Three very different backgrounds, skills and ages give the reader a different take on what's going on. Each is engaging, but I think I enjoyed Ellie the most. The narrative changes every chapter - which had me staying up to read 'just one more chapter.'

The crime in the book is not new, but Yamashita has put her own twist on the final how why. There's lots of tension and action throughout the novel. I can see this book being made into a movie. Yamashita is an award winning screenwriter with four Oscar nominations.

There are a few plot devices that need to be taken with a pinch of salt - just go with it. Overall, a great addictive read. I would happily pick the next book.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.

This one was a fun, easy to read, mystery with a little dash of police procedural in it. While I haven't yet read the first in the series, you can easily read this as a standalone, as it catches you up pretty quickly on the events and characters from the first book.

Overall, I would say that this was a decent read, although it tries hard to squish in a lot of storylines which in turns sometimes makes things feel rushed, or just serves up the required details of the latest twist on a platter which takes some of the fun out of it.

I'll be sticking with the series to see what comes next, as I do think there is great potential here as the story develops.

Really enjoyed this good mystery/thriller by Iris Yamashita. Sometimes life throws us huge curve balls and Detective Cara Kennedy sure learns that. Losing her husband and son throws her so far, she can’t seem to return. Everything seems to spiral even further when she hears of a picture of her loved ones on a dead man’s phone.

This is set in Alaska which I really enjoyed. Part of it is set in a remote Alaskan village called Unity. Somehow Yamashita made me see a picture of it. How one can paint a picture of a frozen, white, snowy area I’m not sure. I think it may have been through the mind of one of her characters. While that means good character definition, I think a better description would be good individual dialog, a sort of dialog within a person’s mind. She crafted several good characters, some quirky I’ll admit, some fun, some strong. I liked them all, except the bad guys of course.

Village in the Dark is Book 2 of this series. Although it was obvious in the story that there had been a previous book, I had no trouble following and knowing the characters. I thought it was clearly written. However, I will say that because I was able to glean so much of the previous story, I would not return and read Book 1. Guess I’ll just have to hope there’s a Book 3.

Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita is the 2nd book in her Cara Kennedy series. We meet Detective Cara Kennedy, when she stands by the grave of her husband and son; as they bring up both coffins, which looks like murder (instead of an accident). Cara is determined to find the truths; her husband and son were killed a year ago on a hike. With help from police officer Joe Barkowski, as well as other residents of Point Mettier, Cara’s investigation will lead them on a dangerous path that puts their lives and the lives of everyone around them in mortal jeopardy. Having not read the previous book, which ended in a cliffhanger, the beginning was a bit confusing, but I was able to get past it easily enough.

Cara’s investigation will lead to the bodies exhumed, which turned out that the DNA was not of her husband and son, which is why she suspected that their deaths were not an accident. She visits Point Mettier, and meets Ellie, whose son recently overdosed, with a picture shown by Ellie, which includes her husband and son. Cara and Ellie join together to embark on the truths, which lead them on a dangerous path of bad people, putting all of them in mortal danger. What was the connection between them?

We then meet Mia (the third lead in this story), who lived all her life with her mother, in an isolated village, called Unity, with all women, who hide from abusive men, and work together to build a protective village; using and learning how to use weapons. Mia decided, as she got older, she wanted to leave the village and live in a Man’s world; she changed her name (carol or Jennifer), and got various jobs along the way. Then she reaches out to help someone working at the company she worked at, which eventually leads her meet Cara, both beginning to work together, with surprising revelations.

I enjoyed all three main characters (Cara, Ellie and Mia/Jennifer), and when we reach the climax, each l finding a way to help one another. The last third of the book was very intense, dangerous and fast-paced with surprises along the way. With all the shocking twists and turns as we reach the climax, I will not say too much more, as it would ruin it for you.

Village in the Dark was an exciting page turner that kept unable to put the book down, as we reach the climax. Village in the Dark was very well written by Iris Yamashita. Village in the Dark was a very compelling murder mystery, with revelations that were totally surprising.

This was one of my most anticipated reads this year, and it did not disappoint!  I read City Under One Roof last year and absolutely loved it!  I loved this one even more!  It was SO good!  This is the 2nd book in the series but can be read as a standalone, but I do recommend reading City Under One Roof first.

Anchorage Detective Cara Kennedy lost her husband and son a year ago in a hiking accident.  She buried them and tried to move on.  But new evidence has emerged that foul play may have been involved, and their disappearances may be linked to a string of deaths and disappearances. 
Ellie, a resident of Port Mettier, has just lost her son to an overdose and wants to get revenge. 
Mia Upash grew up in the isolated native village of Unity, a community of women and children hiding from abusive men.  She leaves home to try and make it in "Man's World."  She never thought she would have so much trouble and be haunted by what she saw in the woods.
All three women are connected and trying to get to the truth.  Can Ellie get justice for her son?  Can she and Mia help Cara find out what really happened and keep others from dying?

Told in the multiple POVs of Cara, Ellie, & Mia, this was a fast-paced, riveting read!  The mystery and suspense were compelling.  I was definitely turning pages to see what would happen next.  And what a twist!  I loved reading more about Cara and was happy to see the residents of Port Mettier back in this book, especially Officer Joe Barkowski.  I also thought Mia was a nice addition.  I absolutely loved the setting of Alaska, and that was like icing on the cake for me.  I enjoyed this book SO much and HIGHLY recommend it!

Apparently this is the 2nd book after City UnderOne Roof which I was not aware of prior to starting my read.  This explains why I felt like I was droppedin the middle of a book when I started reading this. I was so confused and feltlike I was missing information about the characters and then I found out it was book 2. I think it would have been better if I had read book #1. I dideventually catch up, mostly, but I really was never fully invested in thecharacters and I am guessing it is because I was missing out on their developmentfrom book 1. So I would say, yes you could read this as a standalone but I would recommedn you not make my mistake and go ahead and read book 1 first. Overall though it was an entertaining book and I did enjoy readingit. I loved the concept of mystery and the setting was super cool being inAlaska. I would have preferred more scenes in the actual city under one roof,but I loved the remote village only accessible by plane. There were severalunlikely scenarios in here but again I like to point out it is fiction and infiction you can write what you want, that’s entertainment. I also appreciatedthe way it ended, it had a good cozy wrap up that left you happy.

While I have not yet read the book preceding this one, this book sounded intriguing enough that when it was offered to me, I really wanted to read it. It definitely lived up to my hopes.

Detective Cara Kennedy is a strong female protagonist who is facing a heartbreaking prospect. Her husband and son’s bodies are being exhumed, because the proposed cause of death may not actually be true.

Cara is connected somehow to all the residents of Point Mettier, most especially J.B., a police officer in a relationship with Cara. Together, they will end up on a dangerous mission linked to Unity, a village where women and children can go to escape abusive situations.

I really liked this book. It felt fast-paced, with lots of major twists and turns. I also loved getting to know more about the towns and villages in Alaska as a part of the story. I especially loved Cara and J.B., whose relationship I was definitely rooting for. I would recommend this book-I didn’t feel lost at all not having read the first one, but now I want to read the first one.

Thank you to Penguin Random House, Berkley, and PRH Audio for access to copies of Iris Yamashita's Cara Kennedy mystery series!  fun fact: Iris Yamashita is an Academy Award–nominated screenwriter for the movie Letters from Iwo Jima.

Dark moody crime stories, police procedurals really work for me!  This series is a win. If you like Erin Fields,
Hannah Morrisey, like Mare of Eastown or True Detective, this is for you!

I have loved the moody vibe of the small town Alaskan setting and the examination of crime, and complex grief, with a strong complicated female lead. Crime stories are a big win for me, especially in winter, and I loved Yamashita's writing, her flare for witty but intense dialogue and plots, and her willingness to make context critical to the story, a character in itself. The setting is for me critical to understanding the themes about grief, loss, and uncertainty that pervade this second book in particular (the main character comes to understand that a tragedy in her life might not be an accident at all, bringing back grief but also a lot of questions and uncertainty and a solid story and character development).

Village in the Dark is the second in the Cara Kennedy mystery series; this series was new to me so I also listened to book one, City Under One Roof, from PRH audio so thank you to that program for the free copy of book one.
Content notes: The main character is exploring the loss of her husband and young child in these books so if that's a topic/touch point relevant to you, take note.

Alaskan noir!

Cara Kennedy is a hardened detective in a remote Alaskan village. She’s grieving. Bones had been found, presumed to be her missing husband and son. She buried them. Only now that question is moot. Was it an accident or murder. Cara has their bodies resumed. That is the beginning.
Three POV’s to the tale merge, Cara’s, Mia Updash from the remote village of Unity, and Ellie Wright, owner of the Cozy Condo Inn at Point Mettier.
I found the plot strung out. I lost interest but kept plodding on. The latter half picked up, chillingly so. Damage done however, and Village in the Dark just didn’t recover from my first impressions. I was left with too many uh’s!
Despite the fabulous setting and gritty overtones I just wasn’t won over.

A Berkley Group ARC via NetGalley.
Many thanks to the author and publisher.
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

VILLAGE IN THE DARK is the stunning, highly visual sequel to Author Iris Yamashita's award-winning debut novel CITY UNDER ONE ROOF. If you missed book one, I highly advise you grab and read it before the release of this sequel although Yamashita does a fantastic job of filling in much needed background information on the characters and events from book one, all of which are critical to the continuing overall series story arc in VILLAGE IN THE DARK. Clear your calendar and throw another log on the fire before cracking the cover on this one because you're sure to get lost in a fantasy-like wonderland of atypical, charismatic characters doing their best to survive.

Anchorage Detective Cara Kennedy remains on leave a year after the mental trauma of losing her husband and son in CITY UNDER ONE ROOF. Additional information has surfaced indicating their deaths may not have been a tragic accident as previously indicated, but rather linked to the disappearance and/or deaths of other area residents. Thus, on a brutally cold February day, Cara stands by and watches with dread as the caskets of her husband and son are lifted from the frozen earth so an autopsy can be performed. The shocking results send her traveling back through the two-and-a-half-mile, highly claustrophobic tunnel to Point Mettier, a community of misfits, oddballs and eccentric recluses as well as those seeking shelter from abusive relationships. A place where all two hundred and five residents live in one high rise, including Officer J.B. Barkowski with whom Cara's exploring a relationship. Still reeling from the autopsy results, Cara's more determined than ever to get to the bottom of her family's disappearance. She's joined in her search by J.B. and Ellie, a peculiar woman who's certain her own son's suspicious death is connected because he's pictured alongside others who've disappeared in a photograph taken from a deceased gang member. As the trio embarks on a treacherous, suicidal mission, they’re joined by another local, Mia. The more they dig, the more it's clear someone will do anything to prevent the truth from surfacing. Attempts on Cara's life escalate, putting her and those around her in danger. They're getting close to uncovering the truth . . . but at what cost?

VILLAGE IN THE DARK is an intense, all-consuming suspense thriller that's narrated by three diverse, charismatic women - Cara, Ellie and Mia. As the story progresses, readers learn how each of these women are connected and what they stand to lose when the truth is finally revealed. A lightning fast-pace is driven by a dark tone of malice as characters and readers are propelled forward through blinding, breathtaking twists and turns. The author’s expert utilization of short, highly detailed, high-octane chapters with changing points of view keeps readers on their toes as they soar through pages permeated with suspense, action and one shocker after another. The author's cast of characters is one of the most diverse, colorful and engaging groups I've ever met. Kudos to Yamashita for highlighting the importance of community and the heavy, heartbreaking theme of domestic violence against women and children, especially Indigenous women, via characters seeking to escape "man's world" to live in a safe haven, a singular community known as Unity.

Author Iris Yamashita has brilliantly crafted a one-of-a-kind, irresistible, highly atmospheric suspense thriller in VILLAGE IN THE DARK. The author's masterly story telling talent is evident as is her artistry and gift for creating diverse, sometimes flamboyant, characters one can't help but love. The action is heart stopping, the characters straight out of a fairy tale and the plot line twisted. I'll be singing the praises of this amazing book and series for some time to come. Highly recommended to fans of CITY UNDER ONE ROOF, obviously, but also to fans of unique, artfully crafted suspense thrillers.

Detective Cara Kennedy thought her husband, Aaron, and her son, Dylan, died in a tragic hiking accident. However, when their picture is found on a gang member’s phone, she begins to suspect foul play and makes the harrowing decision to exhume them to autopsy their bodies.

Her subsequent investigation leads to shocking results and takes her back to Point Mettier, Alaska, a remote town that lives virtually under one roof in a former military facility. Working again with officer Joe Barkowski, still recovering from injuries from their last case, as well as unexpected allies from the Point Mettier community, Cara meticulously unwinds clues that uncover a link with Mia Upash, a woman who grew up in an isolated village called Unity—a village in the dark where women have taken refuge from abusive men.

It seems Aaron and Dylan weren’t the only targets—and the closer that Cara gets to identifying the shadowy forces behind the deaths and disappearances, the more she and those around her become targets themselves.

Something about remote areas of Alaska makes it an ideal setting for a thriller—the snow, the isolation, the stark and inhospitable landscape. These Cara Kennedy books, too, highlight the epidemic of domestic violence in the state where over half of the women have reported intimate partner violence, sexual assault, or both. (It is also a state with one of the highest rates of gun ownership.) I love that Point Mettier and Unity are refuges for women and places where women are leaders.

The mystery itself in this volume had a few layers and the context was interesting to me, though it seemed a bit far-fetched, though the ultimate baddie, the person pulling the strings, did shock me. I did not see it coming! I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and I like Cara Kennedy (though she does sometimes go rogue to her disadvantage). The real stars, though, are the characters from Point Mettier. I did love the chapters from Ellie’s point of view. She’s so irreverent and has no f*cks to give. If I have a quibble with the book, it’s that the ending works out a little too perfectly. This will not at all deter me from looking forward to and reading the third book as soon as it is available!

Village in the Dark by Iris Yamashita
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This is book two following Detective Cara Kennedy. I did not read the first book ( kind of want to now) and I can say that this book is easy to pick up and read alone.

Cara is trying to figure out the truth about what happened to her husband and son. She has some help from a few residents in a rather unique community, which is helpful because it seems more and more likely that there are those who want her to stop digging.

I picked up this book and I did not want to put it down, it consumed me. There were several mysteries that I NEEDED to have answered.

I loved the setting of the book as well. Especially the village.
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4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected and now I want to go back and read City Under One Roof.

4 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is the second book in this fast paced mystery/thriller that can be read as a stand alone. I haven't read the first book, and while I probably would have enjoyed the book even more had I read it first, I don't feel like I missed out on anything or had trouble following the story. There was plenty of backstory in the book to fill me in on what happened in book 1.

The book is told from three people's point of view - Cara, an Anchorage detective who's husband and son died in a terrible accident; Ellie - an older woman with a colorful past who just found out her estranged son died of an apparent overdose; and Mia, a young girl that was raised in a remote off-the-grid village of women and children in hiding from abusive men. Initially the reader doesn't understand how the women related to each other, but as Cara investigates what she now believes was the murder of her husband and son, evidence begins to click into place.

I liked Cara - she was smart, determined and not easily discouraged or swayed. Her new relationship with Point Mettier police officer J.B., which apparently began in book one, was a sweet relief in the otherwise tension-filled book. Ellie is the epitome of a bad-ass woman that is nobody's fool and takes no prisoners. She's lived a hard life, but has finally found a place of peace, acceptance , and self-worth. All of that is put into jeopardy when her abusive felon ex-husband tracks her down. Mia was probably the least fleshed-out character. She lived a sheltered life in her village, but her intelligence and hard work ethic saw her making her own way in "Man's World". That is, until her innocent act of trusting the wrong person put her life at risk.

The book dragged a bit in the middle, and the ending seemed a bit rushed, but overall, I liked the characters and story and will read more books in this series if it continues.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group. All opinions are my own.

May Contain Spoilers if you haven't read City Under One Roof.

I have been waiting for the second book in the Cara Kennedy detective series since City Under One Roof ended. Village in the Dark did not disappoint and we finally, finally have answers to the cliffhangers we were left with last time.

Village in the Dark follows three different characters. Cara, Ellie, and Mia.
Cara is the main character from the first book and the one the story follows the most as the entire series is focused around her.
Ellie is a character we met in the first book City Under One Roof that rents out rooms to people visiting Point Mettier.
Lastly, we have a new character Mia who is a young woman who is on her own in the world for the most part and because of this gets herself into a dangerous situation.

Surprisingly for once I enjoyed all of the different perspectives! They were all so interesting and well done without it being too much.

Village in the Dark starts with Cara investigating her husband and son's deaths, and reopening the case to find out what really happened to them as it is still unsolved. She is doing this all on her own and paying for it through a private company to get the DNA matched. She is doing this because at the end of the first book she finds a photo of her husband and son on a gang member's phone making her believe that they were murdered and it wasn't an accident. Cara's husband and son's photos were not the only ones photos on this phone as several other people who are also missing or dead are also on it. This leads Cara to start investigating with some help from her friends in Point Mettier as she tries to put the pieces together of what happened to them.

Overall I loved this book! It was such a quick read because I just had to know what happened next, and the author kept the pacing nice and steady to keep everything connecting and going until the end. The three different perspectives worked great and showed how what happened to them became this huge thing and how it affected so many different people's lives. Ellie was amazing in this book with how she put things together when it came to her own loss and how she recruited people to help find out information as well. Mia was a bit of a wild card and I wasn't sure how she would be connected to the story, but she had so much information that was vital to the entire thing.
I was not expecting things to go the way they did in the end and that ending was huge! So many things happened in a short amount of time, and it was great to see all the different pieces that had been found out piece together to show how much bigger this all ended up being and how it all snowballed together. I cannot wait to see what happens next in this series! (Has it been confirmed that this is a series yet? I keep seeing conflicting information)

I would also like to applaud the author's knowledge and research into Indigenous culture and beliefs as they did such a good job of making sure that was included and a big part of the story.



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Review is already up on Goodreads, and Storygraph!